Darkle Chaos
by Nezix
Summary: So many questions have been left unanswered. What was the original purpose of the Atlamilia? What happened to the Ancients? The answers to these questions and more lies in the next journey, one which will determine the fate of reality itself. As heros and villians, old and new, once again clash together. And the greatest secret of the Ancients shall be revealed.
1. Prologue

**Darkle Chaos:**

**Prologue**

**Written by Nezix**

**Disclaimer: This purely a fan-based fic. I do not own Dark Cloud, ****Nor do I own any of the characters, aside from the occasional OC.**

_**The Ancients: **_**Beings who some believe had existed shortly after the beginning of time. They were thought to be a race far more advanced than ourselves in terms of technology and were considered masters of all forms of magic. One day, they seemed to all but vanish, leaving only remnants of their great legacy behind. From ancient premonitions of destruction and death to wondrous machines of creation and life, the Ancients indeed left many a marvel in their wake. **

**The most famous remnants of the Ancients by far are the legendary **_**Atlamillia:**_** Mystical stones with powers capable of warping space and time. The stones themselves have the peculiar ability to choose who their own masters are based upon the mind set of that individual. The Red Earth Atlamillia, with the power to travel to the future, chooses one whose mind is filled with curiosity and wonder, and whose heart has is kind and knows no vanity. The Blue Moon Atlamillia, with the power to travel to the past, chooses one whose heart is brave and righteous, and with a fiery spirit for justice. The Yellow Sun Atlamillia, which grants its master the ability to send their influence across time and sustain its holders life, chooses one whose heart has felt loss and seeks ultimate retribution, and know no good nor evil.**

**Over the eons many wars haven been fought in pursuit of the ancient stones, yet in those bloody battles two questions were never answered. How did the Atlamillia come to be created? And more importantly, why were they created?**

**There is a rumor that a temple of the Ancients yet remains fully intact, **_**The First Temple**_**, legendary birthplace of the Atlamillia themselves. It is for this reason that I have dedicated so much of my lives work to finding this temple and I am proud to say that my efforts have not been in vain. After years of chasing rumors and following myths, I, along with my young son, have discovered the entrance to the lost temple. I'm surprised to say that the entrance was located within Palm Brinks, even more so that it was within the Zelmite mi-**

"Daddy…"

Gerald Zelmite stopped his hand as he glanced down to meet the shining, ocean-blue eyes of his three-year-old son Maximilian Zelmite. Max's short, glistening blonde hair was kept parted from his forehead, barely touching at the top of his ears if it were not so neatly kempt. The features of his son's face included a small, pointed nose that resembled his own in his youth, the receding brow of Max's forehead a perfect match to his own. Yet Max's face also contained much gentler features, a pointed chin and thin cheek bones, and a kindly smile that filled even the coldest of hearts with warmth, features inherited from his mother.

Gerald calmly closed the thick covered journal which he was only a moment ago so intently writing into before setting it down on his lap. He spoke in a firm but quiet tone, "What is it Maximilian?"

Young Max tiredly gazed upon the towering figure that was his father. His dad was in peak physical condition from years of working the mines, even if he wore a new outfit every time. His father's grey eyes looking as if they were filled with a single black expression, causing Max lose his voice but only for a moment before he spoke. "Can we please go home daddy?" he brought up his miniscule hands to his eyes, softly rubbing them before letting out a long, exhausted yawn, "I'm so tired…"

Gerald habitually reached into his right pocket where he drew out a stunning gold pocket watch bearing his family's crest. He pressed the small button which lay beside the chain of the watch, causing its panel to open and revealing the time to be nearly half an hour past midnight.

_No wonder Max is so restless….._

Glancing at the thick, rune-covered obsidian door to the temple one final time, Gerald let out a heavy sigh before stubbornly nodding his head. _Elena is going to kill me for keeping him out so long…_

"Fine, fine, just give me a minute to-"_**click…click…click**_

Gerald glanced at the watch in his hand, thinking it to be the source of the clicks until a distinct hissing sound soon joined it. _**Hsssssssssssssss**_

Gerald's eyes widened as he shifted his head from side to side searching for the source of the noise while his free hand hovered over his wildcat machine gun. _**HSSSSSS**_

Gerald's eyes fell upon a large crack in the ground just a few feet from the temple doorway. A steady stream of milky white smoke began to rise through the crack, followed by a series of clangs resembling the sound of metal against bedrock. Placing his watch back within his pocket Gerald continued eyeing the crack until-

_**BOOOM!**_

A jumbled cloud of dust and smoke filled the narrow passage way, enveloping both Gerald and Max, whom was being held tightly and safely into his father's chest thanks to quick reflexes.

_Cough Cough _"Max! K-Keep your eye's closed!" Gerald's eyes stung as he attempted to see through the cloud of debris, he turned his head to face the source of the explosion, only for his face to be drained of all color. The entrance to the First Temple now had a gapping crater standing before it. Had they been any closer, both Gerald and Max wouldn't have the limbs to walk out. He looked down upon his son's quivering head; reliefs swelling up within him that Max was unscathed save for a miniscule scratch on his hand. His relief was quickly replaced by fear as the same hissing noise was now louder than ever. A heavy stone hand emerged from the crater; followed by another, attached to those hands lumbered a headless stone body. Upon further inspection, one would be able to see the identical symbol of the temple door engraved into the center of the strange body. But Gerald's eyes were focused on the billowing narrow white stream of gas escaping the hole where a head should have been. The gas was the same which caused many a cave in and death in the mine, for the sole fact that it had no scent but was highly explosive.

Gerald's first thought:_ Save Max._

With speed and adrenaline that would've made a cheetah seem slow in comparison, Gerald lifted Max off the ground and speed down the passage way towards the main mine. The large stone body seemed to hover over the ground as it pursued Gerald and Max, quickly catching up to them. As they neared the exit Gerald quickly drew his gun a fired a single stream of bullets into the gas, leaping outside and quickly ducking behind a large stalagmite as the fiery explosion erupted from the passage and caused nearly all of Palm Brinks to shake. He looked up to see the passage way completely buried in rock along with the mysterious creature that almost claimed his and Max's life. He looked down to see Max feinted from the sheer excitement of his near-death experience. He smiled in a bittersweet manner, happy that both he and his son were alive but greatly disappointed that the temple was perhaps forever lost to him. With a hefty sigh Gerald hoisted Max onto his back and headed home, ignoring the demands of the other miners as to what just happened. His mind was much more worried about what Elena would do to him…

_**Meanwhile…..**_

The hulking stone guardian emerged from the rubble, facing the temple which was its sol duty to protect. After millennia of lying in sleep, the guardian found it almost exciting that it was able to fend off the pesky humans. Looking over to the door it picked up the journal which Gerald had left behind in its massive obsidian hand. Without much forethought it placed its body against the temple doorway, reabsorbing itself and the journal into it.

**Well how was it? Not bad for my first attempt I would think. Please leave any reviews you have and tell me if I should just stop right now or continue on with the story. Also answer the pole I have set up, because if you want me to continue this story I kind of need some votes. (A/N This event took place only weeks before Griffon began laying waste to the world and before Max's mom returned to the future.)**


	2. Prologue part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Cloud or Dark Cloud 2, Dark Cloud is property of Level 5, and all characters aside from the occasional OC are not mine. Please enjoy this fan-made story.**

**Written by Nezix**

**Darkle Chaos**

**Prologue (Pt. 2)**

The two moons radiate their light upon the quiet town of Palm Brinks, its people busily walking through the streets, the Blackstone One bringing in more and more new citizens, and the Palm Brinks pound whose surface had suddenly become distorted. Only moments ago Palm Brinks suffered a small earth quake. At least that's what everyone who wasn't in the Zelmite Mines thought. The silence that had followed the explosion was deathly eerie, both from within the mines and from within the city, as if everyone had suddenly fallen dead. The silence, however, was soon replaced by voices of concern and anger. The miners had quickly gathered just outside the mouth of the mine, rambling amongst themselves as to what just happened as a small stream of smoke sifts out of the mines entrance, blending in against the black night sky.

"Was it a cave in?"

"Felt like an earthquake to me."

"Is everyone out?"

The banter quickly comes to a halt as the miners search around them and a daunting horror comes to mind. The head of the mine, Gerald Zelmite, and his young son Maximilian, were nowhere in sight.

Panic was an understatement to describe the state of turmoil with which now flowed through the sea of miners. The panic was beginning to escalate into a full scale riot, as what started out as meaningless blame and argument turned into harsh threats. It was only a matter of time before the first punch was thrown, sending the workers into a full on brawl. It was pure _chaos_, friend against friend, brother against brother; all were now knocking out each other's teeth. A group of the younger engineers ganged up and dog piled on top of one of the larger, more robust miners who simply threw them off as he then quietly pushed his way through the sprawling crowd to assist another young engineer who was having some trouble of his own. The young engineer was being held back by one hand placed on his head by the taller engineer he was attempting to fight. The young boy was sprawling as he tried to land a blow but looked rather feeble as his arms were too short to reach his target.

"Poor little Erica, you shouldn't be playing around with the big boys squirt." The tall engineer sneered at the young boy. "My name is Erik and I'm a guy you big jerk!" Erik was a young man with dark skin and red eyes, he wore goggles over a blue head band on his forehead which made his red hair somewhat resemble the top of a pine apple, while a singlet and a heavy chain bracelets occupy his wrists. He wore his trade mark tan sleeveless turtle neck and baggy pants, which unfortunately did not contain anything useful for his skirmish.

"You asked for it you punk." As the engineer reared back his fist preparing to strike Erik in the face, a larger and thicker hand caught the fist and pulled the tall engineer, who seemed short by comparison to the giant miner, away from Erik who then had then hit the ground face first due to the sudden lack of a hand keeping him up. Erik quickly clambered back up to his feet as he looked upon his savior with obvious annoyance in his tone. "I could've taken him myself Borneo."

Borneo almost had the look of a pirate, with his green head band and fully grown beard and mustache covering the hardened, yet surprisingly kind face and dark grey eyes. He was incredibly muscular, looking to have a physique chiseled from the hardest stone, the only clothing covering his upper body were the two leather belt straps that emerged from the blue worker overalls he had rolled down to bellow his abdomen and the leggings of which were tucked into his leather padded shoes. On his right arm was a red heart shaped tattoo with a single black arrow going through it.

"You looked like you needed a hand Erik, my mistake." A small grin lay hidden beneath his beard as Borneo observed how bratty Erik was behaving.

"Whatever just stop acting like you're my dad." To emphasize he suck out his tongue while using his finger to pull down his lower eye lid. Even Borneo, who has a reputation as being one of the calmest and friendliest miners in Palm Brinks, was taken aback by Erik's crude gesture. Borneo never considered he was being father some to Erik, although he did have a very well formed friendship with the young man.

"Anyways how we are we gonna stop this brawl Borneo?"

Just at that moment a large booming voice yelled out, "Enough!" The miners and engineers all quickly drew silent as they looked over to see the mining chief Cedric lowering his blow horn. Cedric was a tall, old man with short grey hair who also sported an interesting mustache-goatee combo. He wore a dirty white t-shirt with broken overalls, one strap hanging off to the side, and has seamed shoes. He sported his trademark red construction cap and had thick, black Gardner gloves over his hands. With a lite cigarette in his mouth he walked towards Borneo and Erik with a look of irritation on his face, the miners parting before him as though one touch from him would end their lives. "I thought I told you two to keep things under control while I was gone! Now answer me, why everyone outside of the mine, why was everyone fighting is, what was that loud rumble, and where in Sam hell is Gerald and Max!?"

Borneo was the first to speak. "There was an explosion in the mines and I-" Borneo was cut off as Cedric heavily glared at Erik. "An explosion!? Erik I warned you about using all that gunpowder and now look at-" Borneo quickly defended his young friend. "Erik was with me the entire time, the explosion came from deeper in the mine." Cedric looked up at Borneo with a stern glare for only a moment until his face became sullen. "Where are Max and Gerald?"

Borneo was about to speak when his eyes shifted to the entrance of the mine and became fixed upon it. Cedric turned his head in the same direction, his grayish-green eyes widening at the dust and soot covered figure emerging from the smoke. At first no one dared to move or speak, interest freezing them to the ground. Cedric's eyes however were fixated upon the rag doll limp boy in the figures arms. "Its Max and Gerald!" As Cedric dashed up to Gerald the rest of the miners soon followed suit, encircling themselves around the two with worry and concern evident among their faces.

"Gerald what the heck happened?" Erik was just in front of Cedric, who quickly pushed him aside, less worried as to what happened rather than as to whether they were alright. "Is Max..is he?" Cedric was quickly filled with overwhelming dread when Gerald did not return his answer. A tiny grumble from Max assured him he had nothing to be worry about. "I want to go to sleep daddy…" A wave of warm relief filled Cedric as he smiled down at the young boy. He then once again looked up at Gerald, whose face was completely covered in soot except for his eyes. "Gerald what happened in there?" Gerald slowly came back to reality as he quietly spoke.

"I just want to take Max back home. Please let me through Cedr-" before Gerald could finish his sentence, a fist sized chunk of stone cracked off from the top of the mine entrance and struck Gerald right on top of his head, causing him to stumble on his back out cold. Cedric, Borneo, Erik and the other miners sweat dropped at how easily Gerald was knocked out, Max still sleeping soundly in his arms. Erik dug in his pocket until he found a small metal case and quickly tossed it to Cedric. "They're smelling salts, always carry a spare." Cedric once more sweat dropped at Erik's strange habit before he opened the case under Gerald's nose, causing him to bolt up wide awake. "Are you feeling alright Gerald?" Gerald raised up a single hand as he rubbed the top of his head. "What happened?..And how did it get dark so suddenly?" Cedric blinked in disbelief.

"You mean you don't remember what happened?" Cedric still couldn't believe a tiny bonk on the head made Gerald forget everything.

"All I remember is coming into the mine this morning with Max and then….." He paused as if trying to build up dramatic effect, which seemed to cause everyone to lean in closer to hear what he was about to say. "It's a blank." Everyone mimics a comedic anime style sweat drop fall back. Gerald stands up with max still safely in his arms. "I better get home before Elena kills me for having Max out so late." And with that final word Gerald makes his way back home, seemingly unaware that he was covered in soot and that his mine was bellowing smoke. Erik looked up at Cedric. "Shouldn't we tell him?"

Cedric let out a hefty sigh before replying. "Better wait till tomorrow before we do." With a wave of his hand Cedric dismissed all the miners and tiredly made his way back to his home/workshop. "I swear I'm going to go full time inventing if this kinda crap keeps happening." _I wonder what really happened in there…_

Gerald eventually made it to the front door of his overly large mansion, nearly as tired as Max himself. With Max occupying his hands, Gerald balanced himself on one foot while he used the other to kick the door. Had there not been so much soot covering his face, one could have seen how pale Gerald had turned when he was met with the glowing glare of his beautiful, yet currently enraged, wife from the future Elena, her arms crossed and a dark red aura surrounding her being. "Do you have any idea how far past Max's bedtime it is!?"

Elena was of medium height, she had short brown hair and deep icy-blue eyes. She wore a white apron with beige frills all along the edges over an elegant purple dress that had three lines of gold horizontal patterns at the bottom: Diamonds, Wave, and then a single solid gold line. She wore brown leather boots with an ebony sole and heel raising her one extra inch in height. Had Gerald come home at 11 like she told him to she might have been smiling at his return. But the look of rage on her face was enough to scare off an army of serial killers, had Gerald been any less used to this behavior he may have very well lost control of his bladder. He burning anger was quickly doused with a bucket of concern when she saw the soot covering Gerald's face and the large bump on his head. She looked down at the sleeping Max and noticed the small cut across his cheek. "Oh my God are you alright?!"

Gerald smiled at the concern his wife was showing for him. "Don't worry my love I'm perfectly al-" Elena quickly grabbed Maximilian and cradled him in her arms, completely forgetting that Gerald was standing in front of her with a frozen look of despair on his soot covered face. "My sweet baby boy let me run you a nice hot bath and get you to bed." She smiled as she turned away from Gerald and closed the door on him, her attention concentrated on the miniscule cut on Max's cheek.

Gerald's jaw was still hanging open for a good hour before he finally snapped back to his senses and let himself in the house as he hung his head low with an undiscovered solace. He slowly trudged his way to the stair case, leaving a trail of thick foot prints behind him and all up the stair case, the soot prints sinking into the carpet, until he made it to his study and leaned back in his chair next to a roaring fire. All across the walls of the study hung both animal trophies and guns and rifles of all sorts. With a small amount of effort he reached down his shirt and took out the Red Atlamilia, laying it down on the short oak coffee table in front of him.

_Elena and Max mean everything to me. If it weren't for this stone, I wouldn't have either of them in my life. After all, Elena came back just to protect me and my stone. But instead she filled my dull life with happiness and love. I can't imagine what things would be like without her. And of course my son Max too._

With a large smile on his face Gerald leaned back in his chair and rested his eyes, until he fell fast asleep. Meanwhile, Elena was gently cleaning the dust and ash off of young Max's tired face. "There all clean at last." Max smiled tiredly up at his mother as he lay his head down on her lap. "I love you mommy…" Elena's previous rage was all but forgotten as her precious little boy fell asleep in her lap."I love you too Max, with all my heart."

She looked back at all her time spent here in the past. How she fell in love with Gerald and eventually became his bride. And the happiest day of all, when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy with golden hair and blue eyes that made even the hottest heart cool. She has enjoyed these past few years of being a mother and a wife, and she wishes it could last forever. Her smile begins to fade as she remembers why she originally came back to the past. She was given the mission of protecting Gerald, the holder of the Red Atlamilia, from the dark and ever growing forces of the dark lord Emperor Griffon. A tear began to slide down her cheek at the thought of eventually having to leave Max and Gerald. She prayed from the depths of her very being that the time when she would need to return to the distant future would be far away.

**Back inside the Zelmite Mines**

_**Cough cough cough**_…. "Somebody...p-please h-help…" The young miner coughed up a thick mist of his own blood as the stone guardian drove its massive hand deeper into his chest, its solid obsidian fingers clenched together over the dying mans heart. "Please don't hurt…my…son.." The tears began streaming down his face first as water, then as blood. "AHHHHH-" The Guardian crushed his heart into a thick paste of flesh and blood. The miner was a relatively new hire, his best friend having given him the job only few days before. After the earlier explosion, this young miner went back after hours into the mines in search of what caused the near cave in. He wanted desperately to make his friend proud, so he thought it only natural that he searches for what it was that caused his friends injury. Young Shen Shikazu, childhood friend of Gerald, killed in one of the most painful ways possible, now dead as his body falls to the ground.

Pressed against the wall was his young three year old son. He was an adopted child, he had short brown hair which currently didn't even reach to his eyebrows, his eyes were simple, ebony brown. Two fresh, deep cuts were on his face, one located below his left eye horizontally, the second located just beside his left eye inward diagonally. He wore only a long baggy shirt and pants that were cut to fit his legs. His name was Nikkarasu, and he just witnessed the closest thing to a real family savagely murdered.

The faceless guardian hovered effortlessly over the ground. Its body resembled the torso of a scorpion minus the legs, its hands and arms as thick and massive as a steroid pumped gorilla, the top of its body missing a head. A large straight cracked formed over the torso of the guardian, slowly spreading open to reveal a small shining white stone eye. Nikkarasu froze in his tracks at the guardian approached him, raising its massive hand up in the air about to land a killing blow, until the boy turned away his head and stuck his arm, attempting to push it back, his hand resting upon the white eye. The Guardian stopped, not moving, as though time had stopped around it.

The boy slowly turned his head to the guardian and was surprised that he no longer could see his hand on the white stone, only the stone itself. It soon dawned on him that his hand was still there, only it was no longer tangible. He was looking through his own hand straight to the guardian, who now gently lifted the boy upon its hand, carrying him through the rubble that led to the door of the First Temple. The boy was driven speechless as the door opened before him and a blinding light swallowed both he and guardian.

**Too much? I may be jumping the gun but I really wanted to introduce this new character. Don't worry im not going to make this an insane OC fan fiction. Nikkarasu has a special purpose for this story. Spoiler: next chapter will begin at the ending battle of Dark Cloud 2. Please read and review.**


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